Car mover



Oct; 13, 1936. A. F. CALLISON ET AL CAR MOVER Filed Oct. 5, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet l A. F. CALLISON El AL I CAR MOVER Oct; 13, 1936.

Filed Oct. 3 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 13, 1936. A. F. CALLISO N ET AL 2,057,230

CAR MOYER Filed Oct. 3, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 fl l a'alk'san HAW ale g? Patented Oct. 13, 1936 PATENT OFFICE CAR ,MOVER AbnerF. Callison, New York, and Henry "B.

' Whipple, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application October 3, 1935, Serial No. 43.426

4 Claims. ((1105-90) This invention relates to car movers of the type adapted to roll or move railway cars and, among other objects, aims to provide a novel motor driven mover having means whereby it i may be connected to drive the car wheels by friction. The invention also contemplates novel means whereby a gasoline motor for operating the mover is utilized to propel it back and forth on the track to and from the cars to be moved. The main idea is to provide a motor driven mover of the type adapted to be so connected to an axle of the car as to hold friction rollers in driving engagement with the car wheels and thereby move the car backand forth on tracks or sidings. In short, the mover is contrived to do the Work of a switch engine or locomotive and to be operated at a fraction of the cost.

Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in the specification, when consid- 20 ered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a mover embodying the invention, showing it coupled to drive the wheels of a railway car Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 1;and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view taken on. the line 'l--l of Fig. 5.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the type of mover shown for illustrative purposes is in the form of a four-wheel gasoline motor driven vehicle adapted to be put on and off a railway track. It is shown as having a chassis frame composed of side channel frame members l0 and transverse channel frame members II, l2 and I3, the member ll being arranged near the front and the two members l2 and i3 being spaced apart and arranged at the rear end. This frame is carried on two pairs of flanged wheels I4 and I5 arranged on'fro-nt and rear axles I6 'and I1, respectively, extending across 50 the frame. i i

. All of the mechanism for propelling the mover and operating the friction drivingmeans is mounted on a. carriageor top frame which is shown ashaving side channel frame members l8, a wide transverse channel frame .member I9 nearthe front and -a series of transverse channel frame members 20, 2|, 22 and 23 near the rear. The transverse member ,l-9 ;is 'mounted above the transverse chassis framemember H and the frame member 2| near the rear is directly above the two chassis frame members 12 and 13. The transverse frame member 2!] is arrangedin front of member'2l while the members 22 and 23 are at the rear end of the upper frame behind the chassis frame. These latter members are used to support the driving mechanism as will later be explained. This top frame or-carriage has horizontal pivotal movement on the chassis frame about a king pin 24 which projects through an enlarged opening in 'an angle bracket 25 secured to the chassis frame member H to permit slight transverse movement of the king pin insaid opening. The king pin has a bent strap metal brace 26 above v the angle bracket 25 to act as a stabilizing support. The opposite sides of the top frame are supported on'rollers 21 journaled on the front axle it beneath'the side frame members l8, each of these side'framemembers having an additional channelmember-ZS secured to its'inner face to provide a relatively wide bearing surface for the rollers. The rear end of the top frame is adapted to swing transversely. of the chassis frame and is supported by rollers 29 on shafts 30 extending through the chassis frame members I2 and I3 beneath the top, frame member 2|. The arrangement is such that the top frame may swing about the king pin and aline itself with the wheels of afreight car when going around curves, for a purpose later to be fully explained. To prevent the top frame from swinging too far in either direction and to return it to its central position on the chassis frame, a pair of tensionsprings '3! are shown as being connected at their outer ends to the chassis frame member l3 and the other end of these :springs is connected to a central Ibolt 32 securedto the top frame member 2|.

In, this example, the mover is adapted to be propelled and operated by means of anordinary gasoline motor 33 conveniently mounted on suspension brackets 34' hung from longitudinal frame "members 35 extending between the frame members l9 and 20. Thismotor is shown as having a drive shaft '36 which forms an extension of the crank shaft and projects through the rear end portion of the top frame so that the motor may be cranked from the. rear of the mover. This shaft has bearings :3'llin the top frame members 20 and 22 and carries a pair of spur gears 38 and 39, both of which are keyed thereon. The gear 38 meshes with a large gear 46 which is journaled on a driving shaft 4|; while the gear 39 meshes with an idler gear 42, which, in turn, meshes with another large gear 43 also journaled on the driving shaft 4|. The arrangement is such that the gears 40 and 43 are driven in opposite directions.

Referring to'Figs. 2 and 4, the driving shaft 4| is. shown as being journaled at its rear end portion in bearings 44 on the transverse members 20 and 22 and extends to the front end of the carriage.

ber 2| and each gear has a frusto-conical clutch portion 45 facing the other and bothalso have.

A suitable double clutch web clutch faces 46. I member 41 having friction blocks 48 is-splined on the driving shaft 4| and is adapted .to-beg shifted back and forth by a suitable hand lever 49 to impart rotation to the driving shaft in either direction. This shifting lever has an ordinary locking segment, as bestshown iriFigs. 2 and 3. The construction of the clutch is such that its friction blocks are effective after they become worn since their friction surfaces can cooperate with either the frusto-conical clutch portions 45 or the clutch faces 46-after the blocks become worn on their outer faces. Thus, the blocks will last much longer than they would if they had only one friction face.

The front end of the driving shaft 4| extends into an open gear housing or shield 50 and has a bevel driving pinion 5| which meshes with and drives a bevel gear 52 on a transverse shaft 53 at the forward end of the carriage in horizontal alinement with the axis of the car wheel axle 54. This shaft has bearings 55 at the opposite sides of the carriage on the frame members l8 and 28; Friction rollers 56 having friction faces conforming to the shape of the car wheel faces are secured on the opposite ends of this shaft. These friction rollers may be made of any suitable material and may have roughened or smooth faces as desired. The arrangement is such that they contact withthe ear -wheels on a horizontal diameter.

The same gearing is adapted to be connected to drive the mover back and forth on the track to and from the car to be moved. In this instance, a spur gear 51 is keyed on the shaft 53 adjacent to the bevel gear 52 and is adapted to be engaged by a driven pinion 58 splined on or slidably connected to the front axle I6 of the mover. This pinion is adapted to be shifted back and forth by a hand lever 59 projecting through the frame of the upper carriage, the web of channel l9 having an opening to accommodate the lever and provide a pivotal con nection for it. Herein, the lever is adapted to be held in its shifted or neutral positions by means of a notched member 60 similar to'a door hinge in which one leaf is pivoted to swing into and out of the path of the lever; One notch engages the lever and holds it in its shifted position with the pinion 58 disengaged from the gear 51; while the other notch engages the lever andholds the pinion 58 in engagement with the gear 51. Thus, the operator of the mover may shift the lever 59 to engage the pinion withthe gear 51 and; then, operate the main clutch lever 59 to drive the mover at any desired speed in either direction as required, depending .on the manipulation of themain clutch lever and thespeed of the motor. When the mover'approaches a car to be moved, it is stopped by manipulating the main clutch to apply braking action and, then the clutch is shifted to neutral. The shifting lever 59 is then shifted to its neutral position to disengage the gears 51 and 58. The mover is now in position to be coupled to the car to be moved, the two friction rollers 56 contacting with the traction faces of the car wheels 6|. The pivoted movement of the carriage on the mover will permit these two friction rollers to engage the car wheels when the car or the mover is on a curve in the track. The gears 40 and 43 are spaced apart on opposite sides of the transverse mem-" The mover is adapted to be coupled to the axle 54 of the car by means of a flexible element in they form of asprocket chain 62 secured at .one end to a channel member 63 at the front end of the mover and having anti-friction rollers 64 where it engages the periphery of the axle. The-free end of the chain extends rearwardly and is trained on a sprocket 65 mounted on a sleeve 66 rotatably mounted on the shaft 53. This sleeve, incidentally, is journaled in a pair of bearings 61 on the channel 63 at opposite sides of the sprocket. The end of the chain is guided on the sprocket and is held in engagement therewith by means of'a guiding flange 68 bent to conform to the curvature of the sprocket and, as it is tightened on the sprocket the end drops through an opening in the channel 63 as clearly shown in Fig. 2. To tighten the chain on the car wheel axle, there is shown a ratchet wheel 69 mounted on an extension of the sleeve 66 adapted to be engaged by a spring urged pawl in which is operated by a hand lever ll extending to the rear end of the carriage. The ratchet Wheel has a holding dog "I2 adapted to be disengaged by a foot treadle 13 on a lever 14 extending'rearwardly of the carriage and projecting upwardly through an opening in a transverse platform member 15. Incidentally, the treadle is held in its dog-engaging position by a suitable leaf spring 16 as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The hand lever has a pivoted hand grip 11 connected to release the pawl 10. It affords a great mechanical advantage and enables a single operator to apply tremendous tension to the coupling chain 62 and thereby transmit great gripping pressure on the friction rollers 65.

If there are any high or low places in either of the car wheels or if the axle is not true, the operator may hold the dog 12 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel by stepping on the treadle 13 and simultaneously applying pressure to the lever H while the car is being moved. Ordinarily, however, he will simply lock the mechanism in coupled engagement and give his attention to the power driving mechanism. When the mover is thus coupled to the car axle, it is only necessary to shift the main clutch to move the car in either direction and, while the car is moving, to manipulate the clutch so as to stop it at the right place by applying braking action. In other words, the main clutch is used as a very effective brake for the moving car. This is a very distinct advantage because ordinary traction movers require a second operator to apply the usual hand operated brakes on the car to stop it at the proper place. In this case, the moving car is under the control of the operator of the mover at all times and can be stopped on grades without requiring an extra man to climb up on the car and apply its brakes.

When the mover is operated to move a car forwardly, the friction rollers 56 tend to roll downwardly on the periphery of the car wheels and, since the shaft 53 is in front of the front axle E6, the effort will tend to tilt the rear end of the mover upwardly about the axle l6 as an axis. This tilting movement is partially overcome by the weight of the power driving mechanism in the rear of the mover and that of the mover itself. Also, when the mover is operated to move the car rearwardly, the friction rollers will tend to climb upwardly on the peripheries of the car wheels. To prevent this and the aforesaid tilting movement of the mover, there is shown a jack 18 having a hand wheel 19 adapted to adjust it to engage the under face of the shank of the car coupler which is relatively rigid vertically. The jack is shown in this example as having a cylindrical casing 8| mounted in a casting 82 carried by four rollers 83 adapted to roll on the web of the channel i9 transversely of the carriage so as to permit the jack to shift sidewise when the car is moved around a curve or if the coupler 89 shifts horizontally during the moving operation. The stem of the jack is herein shown as being threaded through a nut 84 within the casing 8| which is resiliently supported by a relatively large compression spring 85. The opposite ends of the spring are anchored in the bottom of the casing 85 and in the nut, respectively, to prevent rotation of the nut. This spring keeps the jack constantly in engagement with the shank of the coupler and permits relative vertical movement of the mover and the coupler when the car and the mover are traveling over irregular track or get out of horizontal alinement with each other. This yicldable connection or support for the jack prevents it from breaking the mover when it moves the car from a level portion to a grade. To hold the jack in its central position, there is shown a pair of springs 86 on the opposite sides of the jack housing connected to the frame work of the carriage.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that a small power driven mover of this type can be employed very eifectively and economically to shift cars on sidings at all busy terminals or loading and unloading points, thereby saving a considerable portion of the fixed charges now made by railroads for switching service. They can be built at a relatively small cost and the cost of maintenance is reduced to a minimum. In some cases, the total two men can lift it on and .off a track, one end at'a time. s A small gasoline engine, such as those used in light passenger automobiles is used as the power unit and furnishes ample power to move the heaviest railroad cars. A single workman can operate the mover without any special or technical training. He can stand on the platform on the rear end of the carriage and operate the motor and clutch. It will, of course,

be-understood that a suitable protecting housing (not shown) will be placed over the gearing for his protection.

Obviously, the present invention is not re stricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invenweight is so small that i scribed comprising, in combination, a motor' driven wheeled vehicle having a pair of friction wheels adapted to engage the traction surfaces of a pair of car Wheels; means for connecting the vehicle to the car with said friction wheels in driving engagement with the car wheels; and a double friction clutch for connecting the vehicle motor to drive said friction wheels in either direction and also to act as a brake to stop a moving car.

2. A railway car mover of the character described comprising, in combination, a motor driven wheeled vehicle having a rigid chassis frame; a carriage pivotally mounted on the frame for lateral pivotal movement; friction wheels on the carriage adapted to engage a pair of car wheels; means to secure the vehicle to the car wheel axle with said friction wheels in driving engagement with the car wheels; friction clutch means to connect the vehicle motor to drive said friction wheels in either direction and to apply braking action thereto; and a. jack on the vehicle arranged to engage a member under the car to prevent the vehicle from tilting when turning effort is applied to the car wheels.

3. A railway car mover of the character described comprising, in combination, a motor driven wheeled vehicle having a rigid chassis frame; a carriage pivotally mounted on said frame for relative lateral shifting movement and supporting the vehicle motor; a pair of friction wheels mounted at the forward end of the carriage adapted to engage the friction surfaces 01' a pair of car wheels; means on the forward end of the carriage for connecting it to the axle of said car wheels and applying pressure to the friction wheels; means for tightening and holding said first means on said axle; clutch controlled gearing for connecting the motor to drive said friction wheels; and a jack on the carriage adapted to engage the under surface of a portion of the railway car to prevent the mover from tilting when turning effort is applied through the friction wheels.

4. A car mover of the character described comprising, in combination, a wheeled vehicle having a rigid chassis frame; a platform shiftable laterally on said chassis frame; a transverse shaft at the forward end of the platform; a pair of friction wheels on said shaft adapted to engage a pair of car wheels; a motor mounted on said vehicle; gearing and clutch means for connecting the motor to drive the vehicle and the friction wheels; means for connecting the vehicle to a car wheel axle to grip the friction wheels on the car wheels; and a jack on said carriage adapted to engage the car, said carriage being movable relative to the jack when the mover or car is turning a curve.

ABNER F. CALLISON. HENRY B. WHIPPLE. 

